


A Second Chance At Happiness

by TheWolfWithinMe



Category: Doctor Who, Torchwood
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Jack isn’t coping very well, M/M, Parallel Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-03-02 09:02:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18807982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWolfWithinMe/pseuds/TheWolfWithinMe
Summary: Ianto’s dead and Jack’s drowning in grief, so when the Doctor offers him an escape—he’s tempted. After all, a parallel world could mean a parallel Ianto.





	1. Chapter 1

Grief.

Jack had felt it countless times over the years. But running away and throwing himself into a new life usually helped to ease the agonising pain. The feeling of loneliness that constantly burned in the Immortal’s soul.

At least until the day Ianto died. 

No amount of running — and Hell, he /tried/ — helped him, because every time his eyes flickered to a close at night, he’d see Ianto laying dead on the floor. 

And then the guilt would come, the nightmares. The overwhelming self hatred. 

It was his fault — He should have died that day, not his precious Ianto. 

After months of aimless travelling across the stars, he ran into the Doctor again. The Time Lord, instead of being his usual bouncy self, was uncharacteristically quiet. And he welcomed Jack’s company. 

One night, when the TARDIS was in deep space, Jack bit the bullet and asked the Doctor what was wrong.

“It’s Rose. She’s stuck in a parallel universe again.” His old friend replied, voice bland. He rolled up his shirt sleeves and slid back under the console, sonic screwdriver in one hand. 

“Can’t you go and get her?”

The Time Lord yanked at a few wires, causing the console to spark and hiss in protest. “I can’t take the TARDIS, the power could potentially destroy /this/ Universe, but...” He came back into view again and studied Jack closely. “You could.”

The immortal simply stared. “Me?”

Climbing to his feet, the Doctor fetched himself a rag and rubbed at the sweat on his forehead. “Remember Margaret? When she became an egg again and had a chance at a new life?”

“Yeah...?” Jack wasn’t sure he liked where this was going. 

“You deserve a new life as well. A fresh start.” The Doctor didn’t mention Ianto, but Jack knew that he was aware of what happened that day on Earth. The sadness in his eyes said it all.

Tossing the rag aside, the Doctor headed down one of the many corridors the TARDIS seemed to have, motioning for the Captain to follow him. 

Jack was hesitant, to say the least. He had already tried to run many times before—what difference would another Universe make? 

Still, he found his feet following on autopilot after the Doctor. They walked mostly in silence; only the sound of their shoes echoing against the bare walls being heard. 

“I have a device. Time Lord technology. Allows someone to jump Universes.” The Doctor explained when they finally reached a small room. “It’ll take you to Rose’s Earth.” 

Well, it looked small on the outside.

The inside was another matter. 

“However, there’s a catch.” The Time Lord continued as he strolled down one of the aisles. Alien technology sat in a jumbled mess on high shelves either side. But the item the Doctor was after laid concealed in a small box at the end of the room. The outside consisted of a cherry red glazed wood, etched with Gallifreyran symbols. 

Curious now, Jack inched even closer. Though he worked at Torchwood for many years, and thus saw an endless amount of alien tech, objects from the Doctor’s home planet still made him giddy inside. 

Because it was like looking at a treasure. Or a secret. Something no one ever saw. 

Reaching the Doctor, he hesitated — “What’s the catch?”

The Time Lord carefully prised open the lid, revealing a small, nondescript device inside. It looked like an old coin, black in colour, with a button in the middle. The rim of the button glowed a faint gold and Jack was quickly transfixed.

“You can’t come back. It’s a one way trip, Captain.”

“What?!” 

Jack’s gaze snapped up to meet the Doctor’s, eyes wide. 

“While not as powerful as a TARDIS, this little fellow can easily pack a powerful punch in the fabric of space and time. And as the last surviving Time Lord, who should be somewhat responsible— I’m telling you, it’s a one way trip.”

If Jack still had Ianto and the others, if he still had Torchwood and a reason to stay, he wouldn’t even think twice about saying no. 

But... he didn’t. 

Gwen had Rhys. They were happy and moving on. It was him who remained so stuck in the past, reliving the same nightmares over and over. 

So why shouldn’t he go?

“Do you think...”

He was going to ask the Doctor if there was any chance of the others — Tosh, Owen, /Ianto/ — being on the parallel Earth, but what did it matter if there were? It’s not as if he would replace Ianto with another version, that would be insensitive. And just plain /wrong/. 

But if he could see him again... Just once more... 

Grief was still gripping his heart, and as his eyes met the Doctor’s once more, he gave a firm nod. 

“I want to go.”


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor was a mixture of happiness and sadness all in one skinny Time Lord body. On the one hand, he felt like he had to do this, to make it up to Jack for leaving him on that space station. Though he was indifferent on the outside, internally the guilt gnawed at him. 

And the Doctor wasn’t stupid — he knew /exactly/ why the Captain wanted to go. 

Hell, if he could leave himself, he would. In a double heartbeat. 

The parallel world had Rose.

But the TARDIS would shatter the walls between both dimensions and cause the universe to implode. 

And yet, it was /still/ tempting. 

“I envy you, Captain,” He said eventually; eyes broody. “You’re going somewhere I never can.”

And this is where the sadness came in. Jack was the last bit of familiarity the Doctor had. Without him, he’d truly be alone again.

“Just... can you do me a favour?” Reaching into his pocket, the Time Lord pulled out an envelope. The corners were bent, the paper crumpled. Like it had been hidden away for a while. “Can you give this to Rose for me?”

“Of course.” Jack took the letter carefully; as though it was precious and made of glass, and tucked it inside his coat. 

Both men stood in silence, neither knowing what to say, until the Doctor sniffed and cleared his throat. 

“Right, well. We better do this before I change my mind.”

He was about to say more—when the Captain suddenly pulled him into a bone crushing hug. Giving a little squeak of surprise, he gingerly returned the embrace; one hand patiently patting Jack on the back.

“I’m going to miss you, Doctor.” 

The Time Lord wasn’t good at expressing emotions, choosing the ‘bottle them until you go crazy’ method, and so he simply kept hugging Jack, eyes sad. He should be used to goodbyes at this point and yet—they still cut like a knife. 

Sniffing once more, he reluctantly pulled away. “Just be careful, alright? And be prepared—things will be different in that Universe.”

Jack nodded. Even if the others were simply alive, he’d be happy. He wasn’t expecting a life like on this Earth. 

He didn’t deserve it...

“I won’t mess up this time.” He muttered, more to himself. 

The Doctor merely smiled. “You have to mess up to learn a lesson. Just... don’t pick fights with aliens.”

Jack knew the Time Lord was referring to the 456, and a cold sensation settled in the pit of his stomach. 

Because his Ianto was still dead. 

Because of h i m.

Taking the device from the Doctor, he ran a thumb over the smooth surface. It felt sentient. Alive. The entire device was vibrating gently; ready to go.

“Goodbye, Captain. This is your do-over, so do it right.”

Jack sucked in a breath and mustered up a grin; one hand lifting to salute the Time Lord. 

“We’ll meet again, I promise you that. One day.”

With only a moments hesitation, he pressed the button and disappeared, leaving the Doctor alone.

Again.

“I really hope so...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Janto will start next chapter. :D


	3. Chapter 3

The London street crackled with electricity before burning brightly, an intense white light washing over the surrounding buildings. When the light subsided, a frazzled looking Jack was slumped against the wall; his chest heaving rapidly.

It took the Captain a few minutes to shake off the confusion and gather his bearings. Was this really the parallel universe? 

Straightening up and smoothing down his coat, he decided to explore the area a bit; both nervous and excited. 

For some strange reason, the device had dropped him off in London — the streets as familiar as ever, but before he could take a proper look a group of people came rushing in, guns aimed directly at his chest. 

“Stand against the wall! Now!”

The voice was one he knew well, and it made him exhale in relief.

“Rose?”

The blonde hesitated, then lowered her gun and gestured for the others around her to do the same. 

“Jack? Is it really you...?”

“The one and only!”

He couldn’t believe this. Rose was donned in all black; a Torchwood patch on her left shoulder, and she looked /good/. Her face set into an expression of determination. 

“We detected Time Lord technology and I thought...” She broke off and fell silent, her shoulders slouching in silent defeat. 

She thought it was the Doctor. 

“He sent me here,” Jack said quickly, breaking the silence, “And he wanted you to have something. One sec.” He rifled through his inner coat pocket and retrieved the crumpled letter. Without saying another word, he held out the envelope for Rose to take; fingers trembling.

Dimension jumping had really affected him, it seemed.

Rose noticed his shaky hand and after gingerly plucking the envelope out of his grasp, spun around and gestured for him to follow. She stared at the letter as she walked, one thumb tracing the three words on the outside. 

To my Rose.~

“So, you work for Torchwood?” Jack asked; genuinely curious.

Rose glanced up and gave him her signature tongue-between-teeth grin. “For now.”

“And what’s the team like?” 

He was prying, he knew it. But he wanted to know what happened to Torchwood One in this universe. After the battle of Canary Wharf. 

“They’re the best I could find. We lost a lot of them, though not as many as back home.” 

She was still staring at the envelope, clearly lost in thought. 

Across the street from them was a large black SUV, and in the driving seat— 

—was Owen.

He looked good as well, and very, very alive. Jack couldn’t help but gawp. It was surreal. 

Owen eyed him with a raised brow. “This is the Doctor?”

Rose shook her head and climbed into the passenger’s seat. “Another false alarm... but Jack’s an old friend of mine from the other Earth. Get in, Captain, I’ll show you the new Torchwood.”

Willingly obliging, he climbed in behind Owen. The SUV looked exactly the same as his one did. It made him suddenly long for a past he could no longer visit.

“How did you even get here, Jack?” Rose asked, “I thought the Doctor sealed everything up?”

“With this.” He fished out the device, which was now stone cold and unresponsive, and handed it to Rose. “I had nothing left in the old Universe... so... so he let me come here.” Taking a deep breath, the Captain continued. “But I’m stuck here now — no return trips.”

Rose remained silent, eyes locked onto the strange object in her hand. 

“Did he have anyone with him?” She enquired eventually, “Or was he alone?”

A small pause and then. “He was alone.”

They reached the new Torchwood a short while later, Jack arching a brow when he learned of its location. 

“It’s under the Thames.” Owen had said, leading them all to a small nondescript building. “More hidden, better protected.” 

Inside the building was a stone floor with a trapdoor in the middle. Owen pressed a button on his headset and the trapdoor slid open; a platform rising out of the darkness moments later. Rose nudged Jack onto the platform and soon they were all descending into the black. 

“Artificial smokescreen.” She commented, pointing at the cloud of darkness. “Anyone attempting to come down here gets disoriented and turns back.” 

“Unless they fall off the platform first.” Owen added, rolling his eyes. 

Jack wanted to ask how often that had happened but before he knew it, they had passed through the darkness and were now in a dimly lit room the size of the Hub. In fact, this place and the Hub were identical. Computers dotted the floor, there were two main levels, and random bits of alien tech were covering a nearby table. 

“Tosh is making a mess again.” Owen said, his voice laced with fondness. 

Jack blinked. 

Rose noticed his expression and grinned.   
“Owen and Tosh are kind of... a thing.”

Jack just stared. “Since when?”

“About two years now. They’re engaged.”

The Captain couldn't help but watch in surprise as Owen jumped off the platform and disappeared, returning moments later with Toshiko and... Gwen Cooper. 

This was feeling more and more like a dream by the second. 

“Gwen Cooper,” Rose said, gesturing with one hand, “this is Captain Jack Harkness.” 

Gwen gave a small smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Captain.”

“And you too, Gwen!” Jack replied, suddenly nervous again.

The whole gang was here, except...

An alarm sounded, followed by a door opening. And then, there he was. Looking exactly as he did the first day they met. 

Ianto Jones.


End file.
